Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, claimed conspiracy theories propagated by his old buddy Elon Musk forced him to strengthen his security. Hoffman was a member of Musk’s “PayPal Mafia,” told The Sunday Times of London that he now believes his former coworker is “immoral and irresponsible.”
The Tesla CEO’s frequent associations with Jeffrey Epstein. He is a New York financier also accused of sex trafficking hundreds of juveniles in 2019. He committed suicide in a jail cell while awaiting trial on the accusations, which are partly to blame for his shift in perspective.
Earlier this year, Musk stated in an interview with Tucker Carlson, a former anchor of Fox News, that Democratic contributors like Bill Gates and Hoffman, who supported Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, are “terrified” that President Trump will release Epstein’s client list. Musk directly called out Hoffman throughout the conversation.
Musk admitted that he was afraid of a Trump win. Afterward, Carlson asked if Hoffman was scared
“because of the disclosure that would follow.” Musk retorted: “I believe he is worried about the Epstein problem, but he is definitely not ideologically aligned with Trump anyway. It’s possible that the Department of Justice, or DOJ, will take action.Â
There is no proof that Epstein ever had Hoffman as a client. Hoffman and Epstein met years ago to collect money for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the Wall Street Journal. According to reports, he expressed regret for the encounter to the Journal.
In the Sunday Times interview, Hoffman called Musk’s allegations against him a “conviction with no evidence,” adding that he “didn’t even know who he was” and “went to no Epstein parties.” However, because of Musk’s accusations, Hoffman has been forced to increase security.
He told The Sunday Times, “Elon’s defamation makes me angry and sad.” “Angry because it’s a grotesque attack.” It’s unfortunate since it comes from someone whose business accomplishments I still respect.
Hoffman refused to say further, according to Aria Finger, his chief of staff, who spoke to Fortune.
Musk has criticized Hoffman on his social media platform X in addition to his remarks during the interview.
When [sic] there isn’t even *an attempt* to prosecute that Epstein client list (I think of Bill Gates and Reid Hoffman). In a July post on X, Musk stated, “Either the FBI fulfills its obligations or the case for a complete departmental reset or abolishment is strong.”
Hoffman asserted that Musk’s remarks prompted threats on the LinkedIn cofounder.
